I Held You
by txnightalive
Summary: The Kingdom of Essetir attacks Camelot with an act of war to try and defeat the Great Dragon, Kilgharrah and Merlin tries his best to protect Arthur Pendragon. However, when the pair are split up during the battle, can Merlin locate Arthur and fulfil his destiny before it's too late?
The time for battle came, as they all knew it would. It was as if the ongoing acts of war between the two opposing kingdoms had built up to this one final brutal bloodbath – the long usually deserted hallways of the castle were littered with wounded people and decaying bodies while the lingering smell of blood in the air was so putrid and pungent that it would make anyone retch.

The hallway was dim; a very dark tone to it, but it seemed to fit the current situation. Arthur coughed into his hand and wasn't surprised to see it coated in blood when he pulled it back. He limply let his hand fall upon his chest - his mouth seemed to hang open as he struggled to breathe. Tears laced his dulling blue eyes and he knew that this was the end for him. All hope of leaving the castle alive was destroyed the moment the spear had been plunged into him.

Blood was slowly spilling from Arthur's chest, drenching his red tunic in the process and his expression was that of pain and pure fear, for that he knew he was going to die. He turned onto his back to look up at the night sky, staring up at the stars for one last glimpse of beauty; his breathing becoming more shallow with every last breath that passed his lips. His eyes soon became heavy and they started to close. When the sound of hesitant footsteps echoed around the corridor, Arthur took a jagged breath presuming the man guilty of delivering the fatal puncture to his chest had returned to finish the job.

"Arthur," Merlin had declared in a determined voice just moments before the feud began, "Don't even think about dying out there."

"Or you," the prince had replied, and he'd pulled Merlin into a crushing embrace briefly before rushing down the same corridor where he would come to die. He didn't even know if Merlin was still alive – his mind was haunted by thoughts of his best friend broken and dying on the floor.

His heart filled with dread when he heard the voice of his servant calling his name. He did not want Merlin to see him like this. He wanted Merlin's last memory of him to be one of when he was strong and happy. Not scared and helpless. It took every last bit of strength he had to prise his eyes open, white spots appearing in his vision.

Merlin sprinted down the hallway in search of the prince, jumping over fallen bodies as he ran. "ARTHUR!" he screamed out, frantically searching out the hallway. He had to find Arthur, protect Arthur. It was his destiny. "ARTHUR!" Slowly horror crept over him and he felt his heart plummet when spotted the pale boy slumped against the wall. His eyes widened as he approached the prince, a look of recognition upon his face. Merlin fell to his knees beside his best friend and a heart-wrenching cry ripped from his lips.

Frantically, Merlin scrambled for his chest, pressing his hand over the wound as if he'd find a way to make him better. His eyes flashed gold as he tried to heal the prince, but to no avail. Merlin felt blood seep through his fingers and he began to shake. "Arthur, no," he cried quietly, realising that the ground around him was covered in drying blood. "Help! Somebody help!" Merlin shouted. Nobody responded to his call.

Arthur looked to Merlin when touched – in any other situation he'd be humiliated at the fact that his servant was seeing him in such a vulnerable state. He took a quick gasp of air, his chest heaving dramatically. "M-Merlin…" he whimpered through an audible sob. Merlin's eyes met the dulling blue ones that had not yet torn themselves away from his face. He couldn't bring herself to speak – Arthur didn't even look like himself. He looked broken, as if he was slowly fading.

"Shh, Arthur, don't talk," he said gently, "You're gonna be fine, help is on the way, I swear," he was trying to convince himself more than anything. Merin couldn't imagine life without Arthur. They were two sides of the same coin. He looked all around Arthur's body as if he'd find a way to heal his wounds, but to no avail. "Arthur…"

"S-Stay safe…" Another sharp inhale, this time followed by a wince and a quiet whimper. "Please… p-please promise me you will s-stay safe," his eyes fluttered for a moment. "You can survive this, you have to," it looked as if Arthur was sobbing but no sound came out, his face contorted into an expression of despair and agony. "And that is a-all I want. You don't need me, you never have." His heartbeats were growing shallow. He was getting weaker. He knew he was.

The warlock tried to find the right words to say. Merlin felt such deep sadness inside, never wanting to see this happen to anybody. Even though the Prince had made his life hell on several occasions, nobody deserved to die this way. "Come on Arthur," Merlin begged, "Come on, just keep fighting. You'll be alright." Merlin ran his fingers through Arthur's blood-matted hair.

"It hurts M-Merlin," Arthur's voice was breaking and tears were forming in his grey eyes, the pain swelling inside of him. Merlin was already focused on his best friend, listening to every word and every sound coming from him. "I-I'm scared… I'm s-s-so scared… I don't… want… to die." Merlin tried to find the right worlds to say. He put his hand over the prince's, holding it tightly and squeezing it. Arthur swallowed hard and used all of his strength to pull a weak smile, his lip quivering. "Hey... y'know... I never r-really did... treat you r-right," he swallowed, struggling again. "S-sorry," he struggled to force out a pitiful laugh. "You... you deserved better than that, I just n-never told you."

Merlin held Arthur instinctively as he braced himself against him. Reaching out, he gripped Merlin's tunic, pulling his servant close and holding onto him as tightly as he could. He held on to Merlin desperately as if his servant was all he had left. The pair couldn't hear the sounds of the ongoing battle anymore - the only thing audible was the sound of Arthur's staggered breathing and the occasional sob from Merlin which he was trying so hard to hold back. He knew that she had to stay strong for the prince.

"I love you," Arthur breathed out, his head resting on Merlin's lap. The pain was becoming too much, and he doubted his body would last much longer on the little blood that he'd been able to retain. He felt tired and weak and he knew it was time to say goodbye.

"I love you too," Merlin choked out tearfully, "I love you so much," Arthur's lip twitched upwards to his last smile, a silent laugh in response. He loved his servant more than life, and although he wasn't going to survive he hoped that he'd fought well and made Merlin proud.

Merlin watched as the light suddenly escaped Arthur's eyes and his body fell limp in his arms. His fingers lost hold on Merlin's tunic as he took a final breath, letting it escape from his cracked lips slowly. His fading blue eyes fluttered shut, and he moved no more.


End file.
